1978 Viking 35 - termites

If the extent of the damage is bad, yes there could be some structural issues. I know of a 55'? Ocean that sat out of the water in the USVI for several years and literally the entire interior of the boat was completely eaten. I would have someone qualified inspect the boat and if you guy it, have it hauled out and tented.

flybridge?

I don't think there is any wood in the flybridge of a 1979 35 Viking, except balsa core. are you sure it is termite droppings?

Balsa is actually highly susceptible to Termites. It can be treated with preservatives but is actually the softest susceptible wood.

Teak is very soft as well.......Eat the core, lose the strength......

On the JANKA hardness scale, Balsa gets an 88 and Teak 1155 and you're right, Teak is soft. Just Balsa much softer and very prone to termite damage so termite droppings wouldn't be shocking even if Balsa was the only wood.

I guess termites could get into exposed balsa coring.

can they get through fiber glass into the core?

I guess one in the core, they could travel latterly until full or until blocked off by glass.

I haven't personally seen termites on boats, but I have read about termite problems and I realize they can damage boats.

Is there a termite bomb, bait, or other treatment for boats?

We're talking drywood termites here. There are several treatments. The only one that really works for boats is to haul the boat, tent the entire boat and gas it. In houses here they spray a foam or dust in attics and it leaves a residue that stays for years. But most of the wood on boats cannot be accessed.

On older boats, much of the coring is exposed. For example the front deck on a sportfish, on the interior side of the coring there is plenty of area for termites to do damage. They need a VERY SMALL entry hole to get into the wood.....a hole the size of a paperclip tip. A blind screw hole is perfect for them to gain access and think of how many of those there are on 30 year old boats on the exterior......

I would certainly want a close inspection by a termite expert on top of the surveyor's work. Personally, if termites were found, I wouldn't consider buying the boat. Capt J points out the problem in accessing the wood. I've seen houses that had been neglected and drywall would be removed to access. But here, if the termites have reached the core and have been there for any time and in volume, I think it would be nearly impossible to both kill the termites and to repair the damage. If the termites were limited to above deck, then you could remove everything and better get to them perhaps.

Also, did the owner disclose either a current or past termite problem? If not, then that makes one more suspicious. Failure to disclose such a problem in a home is very serious.

Then you would be removing A LOT of boats from your possibles. Termites on boats is not a rarity.

Homes sales and boat sales are apples and oranges. There is no disclosure requirement on boat sellers. Licensed yacht brokers yes, if they are aware they have a duty to disclose, but not sellers. Used boat sales are typically as-is with responsibility for due diligence on the buyer.

I know there is no disclosure by specific law. Now whether there is a requirement to disclose something material is still a question. And if seller says too many glowing things that turn out not to be true, such as saying engines run perfectly when he knows they don't run, that crosses the "As is" line.

And, you're right, I would be removing a lot of boats from possibles.

What requirement would that be? ...an AS-IS contract means AS-IS.

I know someone who had a transmission problem soon after he bought a boat. Ultimately there was a complete failure which required a major (rebuild) overhaul. The failure occurred about a year after purchasing the boat.

The seller had left his ships log onboard when he sold the boat, and after the transmission failed the buyer found multiple entries made by the seller documenting problems with that same transmission. During the sale there was no disclosure from the seller about a transmission problem.

So, the buyer sued the seller, broker, and surveyor ...and the buyer lost.

That was a problem a year later, even if related before. Also, don't know that the seller represented it to be ok. There are limited circumstances where As Is does not hold up. If there is fraud it doesn't. If your ad has a flagrant lie. Each state has slightly different laws, but As Is does not present total immunity.

A simple example. Person A runs ad and says "Engine rebuilt, only 10 hours." Engine fails immediately after purchase. Turns out it hasn't ever been rebuilt. That's Fraud and Person A loses case. If Person A made no representation regarding the engine at all, then As Is holds up.